Black Friday is letting small retailers suffer November 29, 2024 Consumers say they want to support small businesses, but Black Friday tells a different story, writes Holly Tucker in today's Notebook.
UK companies are struggling to keep up with peers on growth November 28, 2024 UK companies are failing to keep up with international peers on sustained growth, data from Panmure Liberum has revealed. While practically all companies manage to create strong growth on occasional years, few companies have managed to keep growth going every year, noted Joachim Klement, investment strategist at Panmure Liberum. The longest streak on record for [...]
Morrisons expands use of Ocado’s grocery-picking software in store November 28, 2024 Ocado has announced it will work more with Morrisons in-store and less via fulfilment centres as the latter company recalibrates the operations of its online grocery arm. Morrisons, which has been working with Ocado since 2013, will “gradually cease” deliveries from Ocado’s Erith fulfilment centre, in the south east Ocado said in a statement this [...]
Consumer confidence in the economy dips following Budget November 28, 2024 The British Retail Consortium's (BRC) sentiment monitor showed that consumers' confidence in the economy fell back to -19 in November, down two points from October.
The Debate: Is Black Friday actually good for business? November 28, 2024 As a tumultuous year for retail draws to an end, the next five weeks are arguably the most important for UK retailers. With consumer confidence remaining unsettled, many retailers are reportedly hopeful that the upcoming Black Friday sales will give them the boost they need to meet their targets. However, consumers are increasingly savvy about [...]
Standard Chartered mulls sale of three African units November 27, 2024 Standard Chartered is exploring a sale of its wealth management and retail operations in three African countries as the banking giant seeks to free up firepower for its investment plans.
‘Were did you get that?’ How an entrepreneur is taking word of mouth online November 26, 2024 How many times have you found yourself distracted by a paid advertisement pop-up while endlessly scrolling through your favourite social media platform? This type of algorithm is an average experience for the majority of social media users today, and one that often dominates a large portion of any brand’s marketing budget. Tiktok, for example, is [...]
MPs to vote on smoking ban bill and ‘harmful’ vape sales aimed at children November 26, 2024 MPs are to vote on a landmark smoking bill which would raise the legal tobacco purchasing age and clamp down on “harmful” childhood vaping. Parliament will have its first debate on the measures in the proposed new law, followed by a vote in the House of Commons later today, in what’s known as the ‘second [...]
Halfords to take £23m hit from Budget but maintains 2025 guidance November 26, 2024 In its latest interim results, the retailer said that the combined effect of policies announced in the Budget would put up costs by around £23m, of which around £9m was already fully mitigated.
AO World: Double-digit growth ahead of musicMagpie deal November 26, 2024 Electrical retailer AO World has announced double-digit growth in retail revenue and operating profit as it continues its “laser focus” on cost and efficiency ahead of its acquisition of musicMagpie. Business-to-consumer retail revenue grew by 13 per cent year on year in the six months ended 30 September from £339m to £382m, AO World told [...]